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THE 



CAMP BI SCHUYLKILL FALLS. 



A PAPER READ BEFORE THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY 
OF PENNSYLVANIA, JANUARY u, 1892. 



BY V^ 

WILLIAM S. BAKER, \ < S£A-V£ c n« 
\\ 

AUTHOR OF THE "ENGRAVED PORTRAITS OF WASHINGTON," " MEDALLIC PORTRAITS 

OF WASHINGTON," "CHARACTER PORTRAITS OF WASHINGTON," " BIBLI- 

OTHECA WASHINGTONIANA," "ITINERARY OF GENERAL 

WASHINGTON, 1775-I783," ETC., ETC. 



reprinted from 
The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, 

1892. 



/NOV 19 I89i rr 



' 









THE CAMP BY SCHUYLKILL FALLS. 



The movements of the Continental army around Phila- 
delphia in the campaign of 1777, and the efforts of the Com- 
mander-in-Chief to preserve the integrity of the city, make 
this period of our Revolutionary annals extremely interest- 
ing, although the picture as presented is somewhat sombre 
in character ; the shadows many and heavy, the lights scat- 
tered and few. 

As we consider it through the medium of history and 
tradition, the picture seems to be finished, every incident 
related, every locality set forth ; but a more careful exami- 
nation reveals a neglected corner, a bit of canvas uncovered, 
a story untold. 

Let us, then, fill in this corner, cover the canvas, and tell 
the story. 

In the Itinerary of General "Washington for the year 1777 
(Penna. Mag., Vol. XIV.), I stated, on the authority of 
Colonel Pickering, adjutant-general, 1 that the main Conti- 
nental army encamped the first week of August and for two 
days in September, before and after the battle of Brandy- 
wine, between Germantown and the Schuylkill River, near 
the Falls of Schuylkill, five miles from Philadelphia ; but 
was not able to designate with any certainty the ground 
occupied. 

A letter from the Commander-in-Chief to Edward Rut- 

1 Timothy Pickering was appointed adjutant-general June 18, 1777, 
and served until January 30, 1778, when he left the camp at Valley 
Forge, to enter upon his duties as a member of the Board of War. 
During his connection with the army, Colonel Pickering kept a journal 
of events, which is printed in Volume I. of his Life, published at Boston, 
in 1867. As a record of the movements of the army it is invaluable. 



4 The Camp by Schuylkill Falls. 

ledge, of South Carolina, dated FishMll, 5 October, 1778 
(Sparks, VI. 82), which escaped my notice at the time, in 
which he says, " In the month of August last year [1777], 
from the house of Mr. Hill near Germantown, where I was 
then encamped, I wrote you a long letter," 1 enables me, 
after having made the necessary examinations, to fix the 
exact location of this encampment, an historical fact, which, 
so far as I know, has never been noted. 

Henry Hill, at whose house or country-seat this letter was 
written, was the owner, in 1777, of a large tract of land, 
partly in Roxborough Township and partly in Penn Town- 
ship, Philadelphia County, 2 situate and forming part of an 
elevated plateau of several hundred acres east of the Schuyl- 
kill River, bounded on the north by School Lane, on the east 
by a road dividing Roxborough Township from Germantown 
Township, known as the Township Line Road, and sloping 
sharply on the west to the river, or to what may be properly 
termed its boundary on that side, the Manatawny or Ridge 
Road ; on the south, the plateau gradually fell away to lower 
land on a line with the Schuylkill Falls. 

The Falls, in consequence of the construction in 1821 of 
the dam at Fairmount, three miles lower down the river, are 
no longer visible. Their location, however, is marked by a 
rock just below the Falls village, on which a part of the 
eastern abutment of the railroad bridge is built; this rock 
extended about two-thirds of the distance across the river, 
forming a complete natural dam, a part of it overhanging 
on the lower side. In high freshets the water flowed over it 
and made a beautiful cascade ; at other times it forced the 
river into a narrow channel on the western side, through 
which it ran with great rapidity and much noise, falling 
some five or six feet in a distance of about one hundred and 
fifty yards. The backing up of the water from the dam has 

1 This letter is not printed either in Sparks's or Ford's " Writings of 
George Washington," and as there is no transcript of it in the Washing- 
ton correspondence in the Department of State, the exact date cannot 
be furnished. 

2 Now in the Twenty-eighth Ward of the City of Philadelphia. 



The Camp by Schuylkill Falls. 5 

changed all this, and the Falls of Schuylkill are a thing of 
the past. 

Mr. Hill's land, extending southward from School Lane, 
lay on both sides of Indian Queen Lane (termed in early 
deeds a road leading from Germantown to Schuylkill Falls, 
alias Roberts Ferry), the house and farm buildings being in 
Roxborough Township, on the upper side of the lane, a short 
distance west of the Township Line Road, 1 about one mile 
from the Falls, and the same distance from Germantown, 
which at that time consisted of but a single long street or 
road. 

It was therefore about this old Roxborough farm-house, 
and on this and adjacent land of the plateau, that the main 
Continental army, commanded by Washington, encamped 
during the first week in August, and for two days in Sep- 
tember, 1777, before, and immediately after, the battle of 
Brandywine. 

Subsequently, in 1780, Mr. Hill erected a more imposing 
structure on the site of the old farm-house; this is still 
standing, owned and occupied by the heirs of Cornelius S. 
Smith, who purchased, in 1840, eighty-five acres of the land, 
including the mansion. Situated on a slight elevation, well 
back from the lane, with graceful portico, primeval trees, and 
ample lawn, it presents a picture of peace and rest not in 
the least suggestive of the tented field or hideous war. 

Upon the occupation of Philadelphia by the British (26th 
September, 1777), the left wing of their army under Gen- 
eral Knyphausen was stationed on these grounds until 
October 19, and a stone building situate on that part of the 
Hill estate south of Indian Queen Lane, erected in 1732, was 
used as a smithery for the cavalry. In recent years the 
building was several times enlarged, and is still standing; 
it is well known as having been the country-seat of the late 
Dr. Horace Evans, son of Griffith Evans, who purchased the 
property in 1818. 

Henry Hill, son of Dr. Richard Hill, was born in 1732 on his 
father's Maryland plantation. He was educated as a mer- 

1 Now known as Wissahickon Avenue. 



6 The Camj) by Schuylkill Falls. 

chant and settled in Philadelphia, engaging extensively in 
the Madeira wine trade, his father having removed to that 
island in 1739, where he established a prosperous business. 
" Hill's Madeira" was widely known as one of the choicest 
brands in the Philadelphia market. He was justice of the 
peace in 1772 ; member of the Carpenters' Hall conference 
of the committees of safety, 1776, and of the Constitutional 
Convention of 1776. He commanded a battalion of Asso- 
ciators in 1776, 1 and in 1780 subscribed five thousand 
pounds to the Pennsylvania Bank, an institution organized 
for the purpose of procuring provisions for the use of the 
Continental army. Mr. Hill was also one of the original 
subscribers to the Bank of North America and a director 
from 1781 to 1792. From 1780 to 1784 he was a member 
of the Assembly, and of the Executive Council from 1785 
to 1788. 

Henry Hill married a daughter of Reese Meredith, whom 
he survived. He died of yellow fever, September 15, 1798, 
leaving no issue. His town house, which he built, was at 
the corner of Fourth and Union streets. This house is still 
standing, and in after-years was the residence of Dr. Philip 
Syng Physick. 

The movement of the army to this camping ground, 
which was reached on Friday, the first day of August, 2 and 
its purpose is best described by Washington himself in a letter 
written from the old Roxborough farm-house to his brother, 
John Augustine Washington, and dated August 5, 1777. 

" Since General Howe's remove from the Jerseys [June 
30], the troops under my command have been more har- 
assed by marching and countermarching than by any other 
thing that has happened to them in the course of the cam- 

1 Henry Hill was one of the original members of the "First Troop 
Philadelphia City Cavalry," organized November 17, 1774, and an hon- 
orary member of "The Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick," 
organized in 1771, the parent of the present " Hibernian Society." He 
was also a member of the " American Philosophical Society," elected 
January 18, 1771. 

2 " August 1st, 1777. — The army arrived at its encamping ground 
between Germantown and Schuylkill River." — Fickeritig's Journal. 



The Camp by Schuylkill Falls. 7 

paign. After Gen 1 Howe had embarked his Troops, the 
presumption that he would operate upon the North River, 
to form a junction with General Burgoyne was so strong, 
that I removed from Middle Brook to Morristown, and from 
Morristown to the Clove (a narrow passage leading through 
the Highlands), about eighteen miles from the river. Indeed, 
upon some pretty strong presumptive evidence, I threw two 
divisions over the North River. In this situation we lay till 
about the 24th ult., when receiving certain information that 
the fleet had actually sailed from Sandy Hook (the outer 
point of New York Harbor) and the concurring sentiment 
of every one (tho' I acknowledge my doubts of it were 
strong), that Philadelphia was the object, we counter- 
marched and got to Coryell's Ferry on the Delaware [now 
New Hope], about thirty-three miles above the city, on the 
27th, where I lay till I received information from Congress 
that the enemy were actually at the Capes of Delaware. 
This brought us in great haste to this place for the defence 
of the city. 1 But in less than twenty-four hours after our 
arrival, we got accounts of the disappearance of the Fleet on 
the 31st ; since which, nothing having been heard of them, 
we remain here in a very irksome state of suspense; some 
imagining that they are gone to the Southward, whilst a 
majority (in whose opinion upon this occasion I concur), 
are satisfied they are gone to the Eastward. The fatigue, 
however, and injury, which men must sustain by long 
marches in such extreme heat, as we have felt for the 
last five days, must keep us quiet till we hear something of 
the destination of the Enemy." 

1 Washington left Coryell's Ferry on July 31, in advance of the army, 
and arrived at Philadelphia about 10 o'clock the same evening, stopping 
at the City Tavern, Second above Walnut street. On the following day, 
August 1, he examined the defences of the Delaware, and passed the 
night at Chester. He returned to the city on the 2d, and remained until 
the afternoon of the 4th, when he joined the army at the camp by 
Schuylkill Falls, making his head-quarters at the house of Henry Hill. 
These quarters were retained until the morning of the 10th, when, after 
writing a lengthy letter to Congress, relative to the defences of the Dela- 
ware, he left for the army, then on its march to the northward. 



8 The Camp by Schuylkill Falls. 

The army at the camp by Schuylkill Falls, composed of 
troops from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, 
and North Carolina, was the second one raised for the cause 
of independence. It was the successor of that of 1776, which, 
enlisted in front of Boston, had fought at Long Island, Har- 
lem Heights and White Plains, at Trenton and at Princeton. 

It is thus described by the Marquis de Lafayette, who 
had just offered his services to Congress : 1 " About eleven 
thousand men, ill armed and still worse clothed, presented 
a strange spectacle to the eye of the young Frenchman : 
their clothes were parti-coloured, and many of them were 
almost naked; the best clad wore hunting shirts, large 
grey linen coats which were much used in Carolina. As to 
their military tactics, it will be sufficient to say that for a 
regiment ranged in order of battle to move forward on the 
right of the line, it was necessary for the left to make a con- 
tinued counter march. They were always arranged in two 
lines, the smallest men in the first line ; no other distinction 
as to height was ever observed. In spite of these disadvan- 
tages, the soldiers were fine, and the officers zealous ; virtue 
stood in place of science, and each day added both to expe- 
rience and discipline." 2 

"111 armed, still worse clothed," without discipline; it is, 
unfortunately, too truthful a picture. But they were the 
soldiers of the Continental army of 1777-78 ; the army that 
fought at Brandywine and Germantown ; the soldiers whose 

1 The Marquis de Lafayette set sail on a vessel fitted out at his own 
expense ("La Victoire"), from Passage, a Spanish port, 26 April, 1777, 
with De Kalb and eleven other ofikers, and landed 15 June, at George- 
town, South Carolina, whence he proceeded to Charleston. After a 
journey of more than a month on horseback, he arrived at Philadel- 
phia on the 27th of July. Congress at that time was beset with so 
many applications from foreign officers in quest of adventure, that 
Lafayette at first met with a rather cold reception ; but, after declaring 
his wish to serve as a volunteer and at his own expense, he was 
appointed major-general, July 31. He was invited by Washington to 
become a member of his military family, and joined the army at the 
" Neshaminy Camp," on the 20th of August. At this time Lafayette 
was not quite twenty years of age. 

3 Memoirs and Correspondence of General Lafayette, page 18. 



The Camp by Schuylkill Falls. 9 

sufferings have made the bleak hills of Valley Forge sacred 
soil for Americans. 

And who were the commanders ? let us group them for a 
moment! Greene, of Rhode Island; Knox, of Massachu- 
setts; Stirling and Maxwell, of ISew Jersey; "Wayne and 
Moylan, of Pennsylvania; Stephen, Muhlenberg, Weedon, 
and Morgan, of Virginia, and ISTash, of North Carolina. 

As they stand by the old Roxborough farm-house, how 
familiar they all seem; their faces are as well known as 
their deeds, and they cannot be forgotten. But another 
draws near ! We see a figure, noble and tall, a face of 
strength, of sincerity, a face of command. All turn with 
respect. It is the chief! it is "Washington, second to none. 

The records of the encampment present the usual routine 
of an army at rest. 

Divine services were held on the afternoon of Sunday, the 
3d ; courts-martial sat at Palmer's Tavern, at the Falls, on 
the 6th, and at Leech's Tavern in Germantown, on the fol- 
lowing day ; on the 7th, a board of general officers to make 
inquiry why the pay-abstracts were not made out, and for 
the consideration of other matters, was convened at the 
quarters of General Stephen, near the Falls ; ! and on the 
8th, returns were made to the Commander-in-Chief of a 
court-martial held on July 18 and 19, when head-quarters 
were at Suffern's Tavern, in New York. Some offenders 
were pardoned, others were punished. 

At ten o'clock on the morning of the 8th, the troops of 
the whole line were reviewed, and in the afternoon, under 
the belief that the enemy had abandoned all desigus against 
Philadelphia, the army was started back on its march to 
the Hudson. 2 

1 General Stephen's quarters were at the house of the Eev. William 
Smith, D.D., between Indian Queen Lane and the Eidge Eoad, about 
two hundred yards from the Falls. Dr. Smith, the first provost of the 
" College and Academy of the Province of Pennsylvania," afterwards 
(1791) the "University of Pennsylvania," died in 1803. The house, 
erected in 1773, is still standing, although materially altered. 

2 " August 8th. — The army was reviewed, and in the afternoon 
marched about nine or ten miles back from Germantown. But it was a 



10 The Camp by Schuylkill Falls. 

On the evening of the 10th, however, information having 
been received that a fleet had been seen on the 7th off Sin- 
epuxent Inlet, about sixteen leagues southward of the 
Capes of Delaware, the troops were halted, and went into 
camp on the Old York Road near the Neshaminy Creek, 
about half a mile above the present village of Hartsville, 
Bucks County, formerly known as the Cross-Eoads. 1 

A general order issued the day after the arrival of the 
army at the Keshaminy, would indicate that the soldiers 
had been unusually careful in the use of the fences in the 
vicinity of their late encampment, an uncommon occurrence 
in the history of armies. It is, however, a matter of record 
that the weather at the time was extremely hot, a fact 
which may have had something to do with this unwonted 
morality. The order is as follows : 

" Cross Roads, Aagt. 11th, 1777. — That few complaints 
were made for damage done to fences and other property 
while the troops lay at or near Germantown has given much 
satisfaction to the well disposed Inhabitants of that Neigh- 
borhood, and such peculiar pleasure to the Gen 1 that he 
thinks it an act of Justice to express his approbation of their 
conduct in a General Order." 

The house occupied by Washington as head-quarters at 

hot day ; the troops fatigued by being under arms from six o'clock in 
the morning till one or two in the afternoon ; and the march afterwards 
hurt many of them, especially as some did not arrive at their ground till 
late in the evening. But the General did not intend they should have 
moved so far by four or five miles. The Deputy Quartermaster-General 
miscalculated the distance ; and, besides, did not take the route which 
led most directly to Coryell's Ferry, so that the army marched, this and 
the following day but one, five or six miles for nothing." — Pickering's 
Journal. 

1 " August 8th. — At 4 p.m., we marched from the plains and proceeded 
thro' Germantown to White Marsh, where we encamped . . August 9th. 
— Early we marched into Upper Dublin township where we encamped. 
I am nearly sick of marching . . August 10th. — At dawn the General 
beat, when all tents were struck. We passed Wells's tavern, the Crooked 
Billet [now Hatborough] and reached Cross Roads where we en- 
camped." — MS. Journal of Captain James McMichael, Pennsylvania 
Line. 



The Camp by Schuylkill Falls. 11 

the " Neshaminy Camp," a substantial stone dwelling, is still 
standing on the Old York Road near the northeast end of 
the present bridge over the Little JSTeshaminy Creek, at the 
foot of a long and rather steep elevation known as Carr's 
Hill. At the time of the Revolution it was one of the best- 
finished houses in the neighborhood. 1 

A letter to Robert Morris, written at this house, is so 
suggestive of Washington's invariable attention to detail and 
innate love of accuracy, that it is well worth transcribing: 

"Gross Roads near Nc shammy Bridge, Aug. 14th, 1777. 
Dear Sir : In looking over my private acct. with the 
Public, I find a credit to it of a blank number of Silver 
Dollars sent me by you whilst I lay at Trenton about the 
first of Jan y — for want of the Sum, I cannot Bal e the Acct. 
and shall thank you for information on this head." 

These were days of anxiety and doubt; of weary waiting 
and vexing delay, yet the Commander-in-Chief, sitting in 
the house " near Neshaminy Bridge," quietly examines his 
accounts, discovers the omission, and seeks a solution. The 
account was balanced, as appears by the following entry : 
" January, 1777. By Cash of Robert Morris in specie per 
ace . . . £124. 7. 8." The life of "Washington reveals many 
accounts that were balanced; we need not say how well they 
were balanced. 

A week later, August 22, news of the brilliant victory 
at Bennington, on the 16th, the first stroke at Burgoyne, 
and the precursor of Saratoga, was announced to the army 
at the "Neshaminy Camp," 2 and ou the same clay positive 

1 " Washington's Encampment on the Neshaminy," by William J. 
Buck. — Pennsylvania Magazine, I. 275. 

2 " The Commander-in-Chief has the happiness to inform the army 
of the signal victory obtained to the northward. A part of General 
Burgoyne's army, about 1500 in number, were detached towards New 
Hampshire, and advanced with a design to possess themselves of Ben- 
nington. Brigadier-General Starke, of the State of New Hampshire, 
with about 2000 men, mostly militia, attacked them. Our troops 
behaved in a very brave and heroic manner. They pushed the enemy 
from one work to another, thrown up on advantageous ground, and from 
different posts with spirit and fortitude, until they gained a complete 
victory over them." — Orderly Book, August 22. 



1 2 The Gamp by Schuylkill Falls. 

information that the British fleet had arrived in Chesapeake 
Bay was received. 

Early on the morning of the 23d, all douhts as to the 
destination of the enemy being removed, the army was 
again put in motion down the Old York Road, and en- 
camped for the night in the vicinity of the present ISTice- 
town, Washington making his head-quarters at "Stenton," 
the homestead of the Logan family. 

An interesting account of this visit of the Commander- 
in-Chief to " Stenton," is given us by Deborah Norris 
Logan, widow of Dr. George Logan, in a biographical 
sketch of her husband, written in 1821 (the year of his 
death), but still remaining in manuscript : 

" "When the army was passing down in August 1777, to 
intercept the British armament which was on the coast, and 
about this time landed at the head of Elk in Maryland, 
General Washington with his staff (about twenty officers 
and their servants) stopped at Stenton, then unoccupied by 
the family, where his guards and an aide-de-camp had ar- 
rived before him and where they all took up their quarters 
for that night. The General arrived about noon, and at 
three o'clock they dined on a sheep they had bought of the 
tenant, and killed and prepared immediately. One of the 
family who was accidentally there, remarked that they were 
all exceedingly civil and very quiet, and that the General 
himself appeared extremely grave and thoughtful, and was 
very silent." 

The house at " Stenton," erected by James Logan in 
1728, is still standing, but how different in its surroundings ! 
In 1777, the ornament of broad acres, encircled by majestic 
trees, far from the city. In 1892, abutted by streets, a few 
straggling old trees, in the city itself. Then, a home ! now, 
a relic of the past ! 

The following general order was issued at " Stenton," by 
the Commander-in-Chief: 

" Head-quarters, Stenton, near Germantown, August 23, 1777. 
'No officer or soldier is to leave the encampment this even- 
ing without leave in writing from the Major or Brigadier 



The Camp by Schuylkill Falls. 13 

under whom lie acts, and they are desired not to give such 
leave unless there is apparent cause for it. The army is to 
move precisely at four o'clock in the morning, if it should 
not rain. The Division commanded by General Wayne is 
to join its proper place in the line, between Lord Stirling's 
and General Stephen's Divisions, and it is strongly and 
earnestly enjoined upon the commanding officers of corps, 
to make all their men who are able to bear arms, except 
the necessary guards, march in the ranks, for it is so great 
a reflection when all orders are disobeyed, and to see such 
a number of street-rollers (for they cannot be called guards) 
with the wagons, that it is really shocking. 

" The army is to march in one column through the city 
of Philadelphia, going in at and marching down Front 
Street to Chestnut, and up Chestnut to the Common. A 
small halt is to be made about a mile this side of the city 
until the rear is clear upland the line in proper order. . . . 

" That the line of march through the city may be as little 
encumbered as possible, only one ammunition wagon is to 
attend the field-pieces of each brigade and every artillery 
park. All the rest of the baggage wagons and spare horses 
are to file off to the right, to avoid the city entirely, and 
move on to the bridge at the middle ferry [Market Street] 
and then halt, but not so far as to impede the march of the 
troops by preventing their passing them. . . 

" The drums and fifes of each brigade are to be collected 
in the centre of it, and a tune for the quick-step played, but 
with such moderation that the men may step to it with ease, 
and without dancing along, or totally disregarding the music, 
as has been too often the case." 

On the following day, Sunday, August 24, the army 
marched through Philadelphia, 1 encamping for the night at 

1 " I saw our army with the commander-in-chief at its head, pass down 
Front street. It amounted to but about eight or nine thousand men, ac- 
cording to Mr. Marshall ; but these, though indifferently dressed, held well 
burnished arms, and carried them like soldiers, and looked, in short, as 
if they might have faced an equal number with a reasonable prospect of 
success." — Graydon's Memoirs. 



14 The Camp by Schwylkill Falls. 

Darby, 1 and arriving at Wilmington on the 26th; the 
heights of Brandywine were reached on September 9. 

The story of Brandywine has often been told, every de- 
tail brought together, carefully noted and recorded, there 
is nothing new; suffice it to say, that the army, unpursued 
by the enemy, passed the night of September 11 " behind 
Chester," the Commander-in-Chief making his quarters at 
the Mcllvain house (still standing), a short distance back or 
north of the village of Ridley, now Leiperville, and east of 
Crura Creek. 

On Friday, the 12th, the day after the battle of Brandy- 
wine, the troops marched through Darby, crossed the 
Schuylkill on the floating bridge, at the Middle Ferry, and 
returned to the camp by Schuylkill Falls. 2 

On the 13th the following general order was issued from 
the old Roxborough farm-house : " The General, with 
peculiar satisfaction, thanks those gallant officers and sol- 
diers who on the 11th inst. bravely fought in their country's 
cause. If there are any whose conduct reflects dishonor 
on soldiership and their names not pointed out to him, he 
must for the present leave them to reflect how much they 
have injured their country, how unfaithfully they have 

1 " August 24th. — The army marched through the city, and was allowed 
to make a fine appearance, the order of marching being extremely well 
preserved. "We advanced to Derby . . 25th. — The army marched 
through Chester to Naaman's Creek, the General and family advancing 
to Wilmington, a pretty town and pleasantly situated." — Pickering's 
Journal. 

2 " Head Quarters, Chester Sep' 12, 1777. — The troops are to march in 
good order through Derby, to the Bridge over the Schuylkill, cross it and 
proceed up to their former ground, near the falls of Schuylkill and Ger- 
mantown, and there pitch their tents. Gen 1 Greene's Division will move 
last and cover the baggage &c. Gen 1 Maxwell's light troops will remain 
at Chester to collect all the stragglers they can and to-morrow follow the 
army, the Directors of the Hospital will see that all the sick are sent to 
Philadelphia." — Orderly Book. 

" September 12th. — This day the army marched to the Schuylkill, part 
crossing and marching to our old camp by Schuylkill Falls . . 13th. — 
The rest of the army crossed, and the whole collected at the old encamp- 
ment, vast numbers of stragglers coming in." — Pickering's Journal. 



The Camp by Schuylkill Falls. 15 

proved to their fellow-soldiers ; but with this exhortation : 
that they embrace the first opportunity which may ofier to 
do justice to both and to the profession of a soldier. 

" Although the events of that day, from some unfortunate 
circumstances, were not so favorable as could be wished, 
the General has the satisfaction of assuring the troops that 
from every account he has been able to obtain, the enemy's 
loss vastly exceeded ours, and he has full confidence that in 
another appeal to Heaven, with the blessing of Providence, 
which it becomes every officer and soldier to supplicate, we 
shall prove successful. 

" The honorable Congress, in consideration of the gal- 
lant bebavior of the troops on Thursday last, their fatigue 
since, and from a full conviction that on every future occa- 
sion they will manifest a bravery worthy of the cause they 
have undertaken to defend, having been pleased to order 
thirty hogsheads of rum to be distributed among them, in 
such manner as the Commander-in-Chief shall direct, he 
orders the Commissary-general of Issues to deliver one gill 
per day to every officer and soldier while it lasts. 

" The order of the Encampment at this place need not be 
attended to, as our stay here will be short, each Division is 
to encamp in as compact order as possible to-night." 

Henry Knox, "Washington's chief of artillery and trusted 
friend, wrote two letters on September 13, from the camp 
by Schuylkill Falls : one to General Artemas "Ward, Pres- 
ident of the Executive Council of Massachusetts, transmit- 
ting a brief but very clear account of the battle of Brandy- 
wine, and the other to his wife, assuring her of his safety. 
This we transcribe. 

" Camp near Schuylkill, 13 Sept., 1777. — My dear girl will 
be happy to hear of her Harry's safety; for my Lucy, 
Heaven, who is our guide, has protected him in the day of 
battle. You will hear with this letter of the most severe 
action that has been fought this war between our army and 
the enemy. Our people behaved well, but Heaven frowned 
on us in a degree. "We were obliged to retire after very 
considerable slaughter of the enemy : they dared not pursue 



16 The Camp by Schuylkill Falls. 

a single step. If they advance, we shall fight them again 
before they get possession of Philadelphia ; but of this they 
will be cautious. My corps did me great honor ; they be- 
haved like men contending for everything that's valuable." 

In a review of the life of Henry Knox, it is difficult to 
determine which most to admire, his love for his country, 
or his devotion to his wife Lucy. "We honor him for one, 
but we love him for the other. 

On Sunday, September 14, the army, " having cleaned 
their arms, and received ammunition to complete forty 
rounds a man," 1 marched from the camp by Schuylkill Falls, 
recrossing the river at Matson's Ford, now Conshohocken ; 
when Washington, " steel proof against despair," 2 moved 
towards the enemy again. 

The years in their ceaseless course have rolled steadily 
on, and from the day the soldiers of the Revolution left 
their beautiful camp, we number more than one hundred, 
more than a century. Officers and soldiers have gone to 
their rest : the old Roxborough farm-house has long since 
disappeared ; of the camp, not a vestige remains. 

Other armies have encamped, other head-quarters are 
known, other soldiers have lived, have fought, and have 
died ; the pages of history are filled with their deeds, and 
the Union was saved. All this will be remembered : it is a 
memory for all. But it is for us to remember, that the army 
which fought to establish the Union, the army commanded 
by Washington, rested for awhile at the camp by Schuyl- 
kill Falls. 

1 Pickering's Journal. 

x Edward J. Phelps. — Oration at Bennington, August 19, 1891. 



H 33. 89 1 



